Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs will have to find somebody else to hate on the Senators next season.

From now on, Daniel Alfredsson, booed since he poked fun at Leafs legend Mats Sundin in 2004, will visit the Air Canada Centre with the Detroit Red Wings. Certainly, he’ll be jeered by the Toronto faithful, but it won’t be the same.

It has been an off-season of change for the Leafs and Senators. Both teams made the playoffs last spring, but neither sat still as they prepare to play in the newly formed Atlantic Division next season.

Neither team has many moves left to make as the summer comes to a close. The battle lines are drawn between the Leafs and Senators. There has been concern in the past that the Battle of Ontario has lost its lustre.

Still, both teams are headed in the right direction.

Here’s a look at where the Battle of Ontario is headed with the start of training camp for both teams a month away...

THE ALFREDSSON FACTOR

He is, without certainty, one of the most hated athletes in Toronto and he always brought his best versus the Leafs.

The Senators will have to adjust to life without him. The “C” will be emblazoned on somebody else’s chest next season. The odds-on favourite is centre Jason Spezza because he looks like he’s ready to take the next step.

The big questions: How will the Senators look without Alfredsson? How will they fill the leadership void? Many nights, he led by example and was the club’s best player. A big hole to fill, but he won’t be missed by Toronto fans.

Getting players to step up in Alfredsson’s absence will be one of the biggest challenges coach Paul MacLean will face after winning the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s coach-of-the-year in June.

NONIS’ QUIET MOVES

In his first full season as GM of the Leafs since taking over from the bombastic Brian Burke, Nonis has quietly gone about his business and has shown he isn’t afraid to make changes.

The most significant: Acquiring goalie Jonathan Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings. He has never been a starter in his NHL career, but he has been the league’s most talked-about backup, with several teams in the hunt to get him.

A former first-round pick, this is Bernier’s big chance. The Leafs open the season in Montreal, then host the Senators in the home opener at the ACC on Oct. 5. So it won’t take long for Bernier to see the rivalry first-hand. Bernier has to show he can not only handle the pressure of playing in a Canadian market, but he has to take the No. 1 job away from James Reimer as well.

CALLING BOBBY RYAN

The biggest move Sens GM Bryan Murray has made is the acquisition of winger Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Ducks.

Hours after losing Alfredsson to the Wings, Murray upped his offer by adding a first-round pick to the Ducks so that he could acquire a proven scoring winger to play on the right side of Spezza and Milan Michalek.

Getting Ryan helped soften the blow of losing Alfredsson.

The 26-year-old Ryan won’t have to wait long to make his debut in the Battle of Ontario. The Ducks and Kings have a good rivalry, but the atmosphere won’t be anything like what he’s faced in Southern California.

A three-time 30-plus goal-scorer, it would do Ryan well to have a strong performance versus the Leafs. The big players have to show up in big games and each of these will command a captive national audience.

THE ATLANTIC CHALLENGE

Making the playoffs just got a whole lot harder for the Leafs and Senators. Yes, the Northeast was one of the best in the NHL, but the addition of the Red Wings, plus the different schedule, will make points difficult to get.

The Wings and Bruins are both considered Stanley Cup contenders. From there, it’s anybody’s guess what shape the division will take. The Habs should be improved after an early playoff exit against the Senators last spring.

The Lightning have bought out Vinny Lecavalier and will go with Ben Bishop in goal. Nobody is sure what direction the Panthers are taking after missing the playoffs. Will either of the Florida teams be improved? Who knows?

The Leafs have to get over the shock of the way they melted down in Game 7 of Round 1 versus the Bruins while the Senators were sent packing in Round 2 by the Penguins in four straight. Both teams have to rebound.

THE LEAFS’ NEW LOOK

Nonis made a couple of significant moves up front.

Signing winger David Clarkson and acquiring David Bolland from the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks gives coach Randy Carlyle the type of players he wants because they both have an in-your-face style.

The signing of Clarkson to a seven-year deal allowed the Leafs to get a player the Senators really coveted. He has led the Devils in scoring the last two years and will be a nice fit on the second line with Joffrey Lupul and Nazem Kadri.

Clarkson will open up space for both players because he isn’t afraid to go into the corners to retrieve the puck.

As for Bolland, he gives the Leafs another guy in the room who is a proven winner. He can score, be a shut-down player and get under the opponent’s skin. That factor can come in handy during the Battle of Ontario.

Bolland should also bring a good voice to the provincial punchup. He called Henrik and Daniel Sedin “sisters” during a radio interview in Chicago last year.

“Well, they’ll never become Hawks,” Bolland told WGN Radio in Chicago. “I don’t think we’d let them on our team. That’d probably be one thing. We’d be sure not to let them on our team. And, yeah, they probably still would be sisters. I think they might sleep in, like, bunk beds. The older one has the bottom one, the younger one’s got the top.”

Yup, Bolland should fit in just nicely.

DROP YOUR GLOVES

The Battle of Ontario is never complete without a few fisticuffs.

The Senators can still bring muscle.

Matt Kassian was acquired from the Minnesota Wild last season to make sure the Senators don’t get pushed around by their opponents, while Chris Neil has always been a willing participant against the Leafs.

Neil, in particular, can get Toronto players off their games and can serve as a distraction. Colton Orr is the only player left from Burke’s “truculence” era. He won’t be in the lineup every night, but will likely play against the Senators.

Frazer McLaren and Mark Fraser aren’t heavyweights like Orr, Kassian or Neil, but they’re not afraid to get involved, either. Neither MacLean nor Carlyle mind a good fight, so they won’t do anything to discourage that kind of behaviour.

Bruce Garrioch looks at the moves the two teams have made this summer.

Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs will have to find somebody else to hate on the Senators next season.

From now on, Daniel Alfredsson, booed since he poked fun at Leafs legend Mats Sundin in 2004, will visit the Air Canada Centre with the Detroit Red Wings. Certainly, he’ll be jeered by the Toronto faithful, but it won’t be the same.